This article immediately stood out at me because whenever I think of being culturally responsive I think of teaching, not classroom management. I am currently student teaching in a dual language class so I have a diverse classroom. However, at my school we have a very strong Burmese population.
The story about how the first year teacher Nicole, a European American teacher, responded to a conversation or dispute going on between two African American students was mind-opening. What may seem like a verbal argument to an outsider may really be the way a culture converses. This makes me think about how I may perceive things in my own classroom.
Two questions mentioned in the article that made me think are:
“1.Do effective strategies vary depending on the particular cultural group involved? (For example, is effective management in classes of African American students different from effective management in classes of European American or Latino students?)
2.. What approaches are most appropriate when students in one particular classroom come from a variety of cultural backgrounds? Is it feasible for teachers to vary their management strategies and ways of speaking to accommodate students from different backgrounds?”
One way to prevent a mislead reaction would be to not only get to know the students in your class, but also get to know their about their culture. I would suggest everyone read this article because it was very informative and useful. Enjoy!
